BEIJING, Sep 8 (APP): Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretary General Vladimir Norov has said that equality and full involvement of women in addressing political and socioeconomic issues were a prerequisite for economic development, democracy and a stable society in the SCO member states.
He made the remarks in articles on the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, according to a statement issued by the SCO Secretariat here on Tuesday.
The SCO Secretary General, in his articles, noted the importance of the United Nations in achieving gender equality and eliminating discrimination against women.
Exactly 25 years ago in September 1995, he said, Beijing hosted the Fourth World Conference on Women, during which the participants adopted the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, which defined strategic goals and policy framework to promote gender equality and to protect women’s rights.
Vladimir Norov said the Platform for Action defined equality between women and men as an aspect of human rights and a prerequisite for ensuring social justice.
It called on the governments of all countries and the international community to adopt strategic measures to improve the situation in specific problem areas, including inequality in education, healthcare, violence against women, unequal women’s rights when participating in economic and political bodies, discrimination against girls and violation of their rights.
The SCO Secretary General also noted that over the 25 years of implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, most of the SCO countries had made significant strides in achieving gender equality.
“The SCO countries have ratified and are implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and other international conventions on human rights and the rights of women and children; in addition, national legal frameworks have been laid for achieving gender equality,” he concluded.
